Perry Mason and the Case of the Unwanted Child
by susan cousineau
Summary: This is the story of Sally and her loss of family.
1. Chapter 1

Bob Capran was an ordinary man. He had a wife a house a mortgage everything that a man in his thirties could want. His little girl was going to be eight years old in two weeks and his wife Nora and he had been planning a birthday party for the past month.

Sally was the gem of his eye. She was smart well mannered and cute as a button. She had long black curly hair with large hazel eyes. Someday, he thought she might be a beauty queen.

Nora was a happy wife and mother of a little girl that she loved more than anything. Her little girl was the most important thing in her life. She had a good job working for the local phone company and her life was wonderful.

But that life was about to be changed in an instant. The three of them would not be able to be a family again because of the stupidity of one man. He was an ordinary man. He had an ordinary job with a family of his own. But he was drinking and this is their story.

Luke James lived in the suburbs. He had three children and a wife who worked at a local school. Their marriage was good, but sometimes Luke liked to have a few beers. Laura had begged him on several occasions to call her and not drive but he thought he was all right this night.

He had started drinking when he went out with a client to a local restaurant. Once the meeting was over he had stayed and had two more drinks for the road. He looked normal and did not walk crooked or anything but he knew that he had four drinks in the past hour and a half. He got in his car and started driving home. His home was just a few miles down the street.

But as he started the drive home, he did not realize just how tired he was. He turned on the air conditioner in the car and reached over to put something in the cd player. His eyes were off the road for maybe ten seconds, but it was enough. He swerved into the other lane without warning.

The sounds of the crash would remain in his mind for the rest of his life. The shattering of the windshield the piercing of the air bags as they threw out towards his chest. The pain, his neck hurt from it being thrown around. But when all was done he got out of the car and looked at the damage. 'Darn Laura is going to kill me' he thought to himself.

Luke looked around at the large crowd that was gathering and saw the car that he had hit. It was a small compact and his large jeep had done a number on it. He glanced at the occupants, a woman and a man. He thought of nothing, but calling his wife and letting her know what had happened.

Laura was at home making dinner for the kids when she got the call. It was Luke and he had wrecked another car. Yes she would go over and pick him up.

The police and the ambulance came to the scene. They talked to Luke and could smell the alcohol on him from ten feet away. They gave him a field sobriety test and arrested him for dui right there on the spot. As he sat in the car he watched as the ambulance workers worked on the couple who had been in the other car. In the back seat was a little girl who was crying, but seemed to be all right.

The man and the woman were not moving and Luke thought they were unconscious. But this was not to be the case Nora and Bob Capran had died at the scene. Sally was now an orphan. And Luke was going to be charged with double vehicle homicide.

Sally was crying as she was brought to the hospital. She knew that her parents had died. She had felt the crash and had seen all of the blood. The people at the hospital were kind to her, but she could not help it. She had to cry. Sally wanted to act like an adult but her mommy and daddy had died.

When the hospital had called the next of kin Sally's aunt Mary came right over to the hospital. Mary was a good woman, but she already had two children of her own and had just married a man with three children. They were both struggling to make ends meet. She did not know what she was going to do. Sally was just a child that she did not want or could afford.

Mary called her brother to tell him what had happened. Brian loved his brother Bob very much and was devastated to hear that he had been killed in an accident. Sally was such a sweet child, but he was a single man who lived in a one bedroom apartment. He did not want to move into his brother's house and raise a child.

But he knew that Mary could not take care of her, so he took Sally in. Brian was a partier, though, and was all of twenty-three. He was not a good influence at the very least, for Sally. Sally would wake up to find a new girl in the kitchen nearly every morning. Some of the girls were nice, but some were not.

Within three months it was clear that Brian was not going to work out as a parent and little Sally was sent to live at another aunt's house. This aunt was an older woman who had raised her children, and had been enjoying a semi retired life. She loved Sally, but she did not want to be saddled with the little girl until she was eighteen. That was another ten years. Michelle started looking for someone else to care for Sally almost the day that Sally came to live with her.

It had now been six moths since that fateful day and Luke was finally in court on the charges of vehicular homicide. For his family their life had been changed that day also. They were involved in a large law suit and there was a real possibility that their father could go to jail. Their dad had already lost his license.

It was at the courthouse that Della met the little girl Sally. She had been with one of the court matrons waiting to testify about the accident where she had seen her mom and dad die. Sally was such a sweet girl, but so sad. The lady that was with her was so short and kept telling her to be quiet, be still watch what you are doing. The poor little girl could not do anything.

Della looked down at her belly that was now growing by leaps and bounds. She was going to see the doctor tomorrow morning to find out what she was having. She thought of how much her baby was wanted and how sad it was that Sally had no one that cared.

But Michelle Jones, had noticed Della. She was a kind lady and she knew that she was married to that famous lawyer Perry Mason. Michelle had used him a long time ago, when he was not a famous attorney for a minor legal issue. Della had not worked for him yet. She had followed him for the past few years and knew that she would have to see him. Sally was not going to work out at her house, and she was really the last relative the little girl had. She was going to need to talk to Perry Mason.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning was a chilly one and the heat had come on at the Mason home. Perry and Della were going to see the baby once again and they could not wait. This was the day that they would find out if they were going to have a boy or a girl.

Della was standing in the mirror examining her belly. There was no doubt about her condition anymore. The baby was getting big and so wasn't her belly. Perry walked into the closet and smiled. He put his arms around his wife's waist and hugged her. "I love you Della." and with that he kissed her.

As Della pulled away from the kiss she smiled up at her husband. She had not told him about the little girl that she had met at court the other day. Sally had been on her mind. She knew that if anything ever happened to her and Perry that their baby would have someone to go to, but this little girl had no one. There was no one that wanted her and Della was sure that Sally knew it.

After a small breakfast they headed out to the doctors office. The appointment was for nine that morning and the two of them were ready for the news. As Della got out of the car Perry took her arm. They walked into the doctors arm in arm and very much in love.

As they entered the doctors office Della and Perry were smiling. Della laid down on the table and waited anxiously for the woman to start the ultrasound. As the baby came into focus she was amazed at how much the baby had grown. You could now clearly see the arms legs eyes nose and mouth. It was as if the baby was looking straight at them.

As the nurse looked she asked them if they wanted to know the sex of the baby or not. They both said yes and she looked again. She smiled at the two of them and said "It is a boy. Congratulations."

Della was in tears, she was going to have a little boy in just about exactly four months. She looked at Perry and saw the tears in his eyes. He leaned over and gave her a kiss and then went back to looking at the photos of his little boy. As the two of them walked out of the doctors office, Della got a clean bill of health and they headed back to the office.

They had just gotten back to the office when Gertie came in and told them that there was a lady there for an appointment. She had been squeezed in because she had told her that it was very important that she speak to Mr. Mason as soon as possible. Perry told her to come in and Della looked up with surprise. The lady was the aunt of the little girl Sally that she had seen in court the day before.

Michelle Jones took a seat and Perry remembered the lady well. She had been one of his first clients. He looked at her and asked her how he could help her. "I am having a problem with my niece Sally. She is a good kid, but I have neither the patience or time to care for her properly. Her parents were killed in an automobile accident about six months ago and she has been sent from home to home. She is now living with me, but I am in my sixties and have retired. There is no way that I can give her a proper home. I would like to have you find a family, a good family." she told him with some sadness in her voice.

Perry took one look at the lady and knew that she was right. The little girl did need a steady home and a family that loved her. "How old is this little girl?" he asked her.

"She is eight years old and well behaved. She does good at school and has lots of friends. It is just that at this time I cannot handle a child on my own. I need to find someone who will care for and love her. Can you help me?" she asked him with a quivering tone. "I love her and want what is best for her."

Perry looked at the lady and smiled. "Don't worry everything will work out. There are many people who would like to adopt a little girl. I will get back to you when I find out something.

As Michelle Jones left the office Perry looked at his wife. How unfair it was for some children to not be wanted when others are so wanted and loved. It was going to be hard to find someone who would want a child who is already eight years old. Most people wanted a newborn baby, but he would try.

Della felt so sorry for the sweet little girl that she had met at court the day before. She had so wanted to belong and no one wanted her. It was a very sad story.

Michelle Jones lived in a quiet section of town where there was little crime. Everyone knew each other and when a new family moved in across the street she was happy. The house had been vacant for almost a year and now there was going to be a family there. She was told that it was a husband and wife and their three children.

Luke James had moved his family out of their old neighborhood because many of the people would not talk to them anymore in the neighborhood and his children were being picked on. He had just bought this house to get away from all the gossip. He might be going to jail, his future was very unclear, but he wanted his wife and children taken care of, so he had moved them all to a new house.

The lady across the street was in her sixties and he was surprised to see a little girl playing outside. Then he recognized her it was the little girl Sally who had survived the crash that he had been in. She was now living across the street. He did not know what to do. He could not move again and the little girl and his children would surely talk at one time or the other.

Sally went in to tell her aunt about the man who had moved in across the street. She was frightened of him and with that Michelle went over to confront him. She knocked on the door and asked "Why did you move across from Sally and me? You and your family needs to move out of this neighborhood" Michelle warned him.

Luke had no idea who lived across the street, but he couldn't move not again. He shut the door in Michelle's face and would not answer her knocks at all. Michelle went away very depressed and swore that she would talk about it Mr Mason in the morning.

Michelle had enough and went back over to the house and knocked and knocked no answer. But the door was partially open. She looked inside and saw the body of Luke lying on the carpet in the living room. She called the police and they told her that he was murdered.


	3. Chapter 3

That was all that Michelle had to hear. She had already been so badly affected by the man on the floor and now someone had murdered him. She was not glad that he was dead but she could not find it in her heart to feel sorry for him. Oh she knew that he had three children and a wife, but he had killed her niece's parents. It was an accident but to her it was murder, for if he had not been drinking the accident might have been avoided and never have happened at all.

Because of him Sally had no home and no parents. She knew that she was not the best parent for the little girl. She loved her but she was too old and tired to take on the responsibility of raising a child. She had never married and had no idea how to care for her. Now this. She knew that this would affect poor Sally profoundly and she did not know what to do about it. Why did she do something as stupid as going over to the house to confront him? That was what she had a lawyer for. She should have let Perry Mason handle the problem.

Laura had been at work when she had seen the police pull up in front of her store. Something inside of her told her that it had something to do with her husband. He was on trial for manslaughter and they were always at the house asking questions. The last thing that she thought that she would hear from the officer's mouth was that he had been murdered. Even though he was made out to be the villain she knew that the alcohol had a hold on her husband and that he needed treatment not jail. He was a good husband and father to her and the children most of the time. Now, she was being asked to go to the morgue and identify his body.

The children of Laura and Luke James were at their grandparents when the murder had taken place and Laura was now faced with the grim job of going over to Luke's parents and telling them what had happened. Luke's father Luke Sr was getting up in age and had a bad heart. Laura worried about him. His mother Karen could see nothing wrong in her son and had been supporting him throughout the whole trial. They both loved their son and would be devastated.

Laura pulled up to her house and saw all of the police cars. She went up to her front door and was met by an officer. He lifted a sheet off of her husband's face and yes it was true that was her husband. She cried and then headed out to find her children and tell them the sad news.

As Laura rounded the corner to their house, she saw her children out on the front lawn playing a game. They were all smiling and happy to see their mother. But she was early and they could see by the look on her face that something was wrong. As Laura went into the house to tell the people that she loved that Luke was murdered they all hugged and held each other.

Lt Tragg was busy at the scene taking any fingerprints and pictures. The man had been struck over the head with a fireplace poker and had died almost immediately. There was no sign that the body had been moved or that he had tried to move once he had been hit. There was actually a very small amount of blood around him, also indicating that the blow was almost immediately fatal.

As the police looked around the room they saw that there was some indication that the family had not been living there for long. There were still some boxes on the floor and it looked as if Luke James had been unpacking one of them when someone had come in. There was no sign of any forced entry so whoever killed him was allowed in.

Lt Tragg found it very interesting that the last person to see him alive and the person who had found the body was the aunt of the little girl whose parents had died after Luke had hit them head on. He was even more surprised to find out that the little girl Sally was now living in her aunt's house. He would need to question her more.

As Lt Tragg walked across the street to the home of Michelle Jones, Michelle saw him and sent Sally upstairs. This was very unnerving to the little girl and she did not have to hear what the police were saying about the murder. She opened the door and welcomed Lt Tragg into her home.

As the police officer entered the home he noted how clean and sterile everything was. The house did not look like a house where a little girl lived and he wondered how long Sally had lived there. Michelle Jones seemed friendly enough, but when he started to talk to her about Luke James her anger showed.

"Now you told me that you went over to talk to Luke. What did you want him to do? Did you want him to move or something?" he asked.

"I wanted to know why in a city of nearly seven million people he had chosen the house across the street from where Sally was living. Sally is a little girl who has suffered terribly because of Luke James. Yes, I wanted him to move." Michelle told him.

"You said that you left but went back." the LT asked her.

"Yes I did. The first time he pushed me out of the doorway and slammed the door in my face. I went home to find Sally crying uncontrollably and just lost my temper. I went over there to confront him, but I found him dead." Michelle told him.

At the Mason home everything was wonderful. They were going to have a little boy and Della could start to make plans on the baby's room. Perry was busy in the bedroom adding the new picture of the baby to the silver picture frame that Della had given him for Christmas and they were enjoying a night alone. It was just a little bit past seven when Michelle Jones called. She was at the police station being questioned on the murder of Luke James.

Della looked up at Perry and shook her head. "Michelle Jones would not kill anyone. She has little Sally to take care of and she is not a violent person. The police are wrong on another case."

Perry gave his wife a long passionate kiss and headed out to the LA County jail. There he found Michelle Jones in one of the interrogation rooms waiting for him to come. She looked worried , but certainly not irate. He walked into the room and the officer who had been standing there left the room. As she recanted everything once more to Perry, she thought that it sounded just repetitive. He listened to her intently and then allowed Lt Tragg come in and talk to her.

As Lt Tragg stepped into the room he informed them that she had admitted to being in the house earlier that day and her fingerprints were the only ones that were found on the fireplace poker. She was being held on suspicion of murder. Michelle was devastated. She had left a neighbor watching Sally, 'who would watch her all night until she was allowed out on bail in the morning? What if she was not given bail? No this wasn't good.

Michelle looked at Perry Mason with begging eyes "Could you keep Sally until I am out of here at least?"

Now Perry Mason had always gone out of his way for clients, but up until a few months ago he had been a single man. He knew that Della was tired and very pregnant. He told her "Don't worry she can stay at my house for the night. I have plenty of room."

It was after eleven when Della heard the sound of Perry's car coming into the garage. She went downstairs to meet him and was greeted by the little girl Sally. Sally was tired and need to go right to bed. Della grabbed her small bag and Perry carried her up the stairs to the large room across from the baby's nursery. The design of the room was feminine and she knew that Sally would be comfortable there.

As Della gave the little girl a gentle kiss good-night and Perry gave her a kiss on the cheek, they smiled as she fell asleep almost right away. Somehow the little girl seemed to belong there.


	4. Chapter 4

Michelle Jones sat in the jail for the night. She had never gotten any kind of citation from the police. She had never even received a traffic ticket. Now she was in jail under suspicion of murder. This was the stupidest thing that she had ever heard of. She would not and could not kill anyone no matter what they did. Yes, she had lost her temper but no she had not murdered anyone.

The first thing that Perry did was have Della contact Paul Drake. Paul was the man that they usually used for investigative purposes. He owned the Drake Detective Agency and was the best man in the city. Perry explained to him what was going on and he told him that he would get right on it.

As Della and Perry went to work on getting ready for court in the morning, the hours went by fast. It was nearly one in the morning when the briefs had been completed and they crawled into bed. Before going to bed, they checked on Sally and found her sound asleep.

The next morning came early for Sally. She barely remembered coming to this strange house and seeing her friend Mrs. Mason once again. She was a kind lady and her husband Perry had been very nice to her. She looked around the large room. She had never seen such a large bedroom. She ran over to the window and looked out. There was a swimming pool in the backyard.

As Sally went into her night bag she got out her clothes for the day. She wanted to be very quiet, because she wanted to do everything that she could to make these people like her. She knew that her aunt didn't want her and she was running out of relatives. She had heard about the foster care system from a friend who had been there and she did not want to be stuck with them. Her friend told her that she had a social worker that did not care about her and even though she wasn't supposed to she smoked in the car when she was in it.

Sally went downstairs quietly hoping to find something to eat. She found herself some cereal and was careful not to spill anything. She cleaned everything in the kitchen as she got her breakfast. She was sitting at the table quietly when Perry walked in. He smiled at the little girl, and was impressed that she could make her own breakfast.

"Sally, we were going to get up soon and we would have been glad to make your breakfast." he told her with a smile. He bent down so that he was at the same level as she was. He wanted her to feel comfortable at his home and wanted.

Sally smiled at him and told him "You see I am very independent and am no trouble. I get ready for school by myself and wait for the bus alone too. I can clean and help out with the baby that is coming soon." she told him with hope in her voice.

This little girl was melting his heart. She so wanted to be wanted/ She would do anything for attention. He took a seat next to her and looked her square in the eye. "Sally you are only eight years old and need to worry about school and having fun. You let us grownups worry about making meals and cleaning the house. You just be happy." he told her.

It was then that he heard Della come into the room. She was smiling at them and was surprised to see that Sally was already dressed for school. She and Perry were going to take her to school that morning and then head right to court. She smiled at the little girl and told her "Thank you for helping us getting ready for work. You have been a big help.

Sally was so pleased, they liked her and she liked them. She ran up to the room where she had spent the night to get her school books with a smile and a bound. She made her bed carefully and made sure that the room was clean.

Della looked at Perry and told him "She tries so hard. It is so sad that no one wants her. She is a sweetheart. What if she stayed with us until we found her a good home?"

Something had told Perry that Della was thinking about that last night. He loved children, but he had his law practice and he was not sure that he could dedicate the time and love that a child like Sally would need. But, with any luck they should be able to find someone suitable within a few weeks. He looked at Della and said "Let's talk to her aunt. when court is done."

Della smiled he had not said no. With that the three of them headed out the door. Della and Perry walked into Sally's classroom and saw immediately that she had lots of friends. They spoke to the teacher and the teacher remarked on the rough time that Sally had in the past year since her parents had died. "She is such a good kid" she told them.

As the young couple approached the courthouse they were met by Paul Drake their good friend and private investigator. He had little information so far for them, but had wanted to meet them at the courthouse. "Luke James had more than a few enemies. He had a mean temper when he was drinking and was on trial for vehicular manslaughter. There is more to this than it seems Perry. As soon as I find out something I will get back to you." and with that Paul left.

As Della and Perry arrived in the courtroom they met both Lt Tragg and the district attorney Hamilton Burger. Burger went over and talked to Perry "This is one case where I understand the reasoning for the murder. My office is willing to lower the charge to murder two if your client will confess." Burger told him.

"Hamilton, she will not plead guilty to something that she has not done. She is innocent and I will find the real murderer." Perry told him.

The court was a long one and Michelle was allowed out on bail once she posted two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. She had to mortgage her home and was now a nervous wreck. She did not know she was going to continue taking care of Sally and find the murderer.

Perry came over to her and told her he and Della wanted to talk to her. The three of them went into the private conference room and Perry shut the door. Perry looked at the distraught lady and told her what he and Della had discussed "My wife and I realize that this whole situation has been very difficult for you. We would like to offer to take Sally and care for her until we find someone who would be interested in adopting her." he told her as he put his arm around Della.

Michelle could not believe what she had just heard. This was the best news that she had heard in a long time. She wanted to keep in touch with her niece, but she just could not handle the stress of having Sally around twenty-four hours a day. All she could say was "Thank you."

When Della got back to the office she went right to work finding someone who could take care of Sally while she was at work. Della and Perry had long ago decided that they would need a live in worker, but they had thought that they had more time. Della would be picking up Sally from school from now on until she could find someone to take care of her. She called the employment agency that she and Perry used for the office and was promised that they would have a couple of women contact her within a couple of days.

But today Perry was going to be in the school area and he offered to pick Sally up from school. He was going to take her to the office where she could keep herself busy in the law library. There was a television in there and she could also work on her schoolwork.

As he pulled up to the school he watched as the children left. Then Sally came out. She was so full of pep and she jumped right into the backseat without being asked. She hooked up the seatbelt and then the twenty questions started. Perry had never been around a little girl with so much energy. "Where are we going Mr. Mason?"

"Sally, I hope that you don't mind but you are going to stay with me and Mrs. Mason for a while. Is that all right with you?" he asked her.

"Oh yes that 's great. Do I keep the same room? You didn't mind me making my own breakfast do you?" she asked

Just as Perry was getting ready to answer the first two questions question three came out "Where are we going now? Are we going to see your Wife? I like her. But, I am a little hungry, can I have a snack? What about my clothes?" Sally questioned.

"Excuse me young lady but I haven't had a chance to answer your questions yet. We are headed to our office and yes we will get you a snack. Your aunt is bringing your clothes and I think that from now on when you wake up we want you to stay in your room until we get up ok? You can watch television or something in your room. Is that all right with you?"

"Ok" and with that Sally looked out the window. As they approached the Brent building where the law office was Sally looked at the tall building with awe. As she got out of the car she took Mr. Mason's hand and skipped to the elevator.

Della smiled as Sally and her husband came into the office and she set Sally all up in the law library with coloring books and her favorite television show. She then went back to work with her husband. She had spent the day looking at the tapes of the trial that Luke had been involved in. There had been several witnesses that had taken the stand. Luke James did indeed have a bad reputation around town.

Paul Drake was busy looking into another accident that Luke had been in over five years before. The accident had left a man permanently in a wheelchair and he had gotten away with it with only a ninety day suspended sentence. There had been some very bad feeling about that from his family. The man Peter Herrick's brother Josh had threatened Luke at that time. He had been seen around the neighborhood also.

He had found Josh and was sitting outside of his house watching and waiting for any information. This was one of many leads that he would follow in the next few weeks. Paul sat out in his car and just watched.

Meanwhile Perry and Della arrived at home with their new little ward Sally. Michelle had brought over Sally's things and Della went upstairs to help her unpack. Perry in the meantime asked Sally "Do you like spaghetti?"

"I love spaghetti. We used to have it every Wednesday. Wednesday is prince spaghetti day. I like lots of peppers and onions with mine. Do you have garlic bread? What about regular bread if you don't have it. I think that sprinkled cheese is good on spaghetti too. Della smiled at Perry who was overwhelmed by the little girl and told her "Let's go unpack." and with that Perry started supper.

That evening after Sally went to bed Perry and Della went back to the study and started doing more research. They were glad when the phone rang and Paul called to let them know that he was busy observing Josh Herrick's house. Josh did not seem to be too bad a person but he hated Luke James. It seemed that just six moths ago Peter Herrick had died and that he had never recovered from the injuries that he sustained in the accident that Luke James had caused.


	5. Chapter 5

Everything was back to normal at the Mason house. There was another murder mystery and Della and Perry were working on the case from the comfort of their own study. There was just one thing different. They now had a little girl living there. Della had set up a nursery monitor so that she and Perry could hear anything that happened in her room. The monitor was supposed to be for a baby, but Sally had been having some nightmares and Della thought that it was a good idea to leave the monitor close to her when Sally was sleeping.

As in any and all cases that Della and Perry Mason had worked on together there are many suspects. Some of the people can be discounted almost immediately and some not. Of one thing, though, the two of them were sure that Michelle Jones was an innocent woman. She had been good to Sally even though she had not been interested in raising her. She had also come to Mr. Mason's office with the hopes that he would be able to find the little girl a good home.

But when he and Della had picked up the little girl, she was poorly dressed and very unhappy. She had the saddest eyes and always spoke as though she was looking down and did not dare look up. The teacher said that this was not the same child that Sally had been when her parents were alive. Every night Sally woke up crying sometimes it would take an hour to calm her down.

The dreams for the little girl were always about her parents and the accident. Della and Perry were sure that she also was worried about what was going to happen to her. What kind of life is it for a little eight year old girl to never know where she was going to be sleeping the next night 'No little girl should have to live out of a suitcase' Della thought to herself.

But it was the weekend and Sue Drake was just one month from having her little girl. Lori and Della had been planning her shower for weeks and it was time to go to the mall. Della thought that Sally might like to go shopping with her. So when Della came into the kitchen she asked Sally to go with her. "We are going to go shopping with my sister Lori for Sue's baby shower. Do you want to come?" Della asked her.

Sally was very excited about going shopping. She used to go shopping with her mother all of the time. She hadn't been to the mall since her mom had died. It was one of her favorite places to go. She looked up at Della and smiled "I would love to go with you."

As Della and Sally left to pick up Lori Perry waved to them both. Sally had dark hair like Della's and they easily could have been a mother and daughter going off to the mall together. But, Della was having his baby in just over three months and there was no way that he could ever ask her to take care of a little girl also. They had been very lucky and had found a lady Mrs. Haskell who had agreed to come and take care of Sally and then take care of the baby once he was born.

The next day after church Perry and Della introduced Sally to the Reverend. They made an appointment to meet with him that afternoon around three. Della and Perry were going to have to find someone to stay with Sally, they had never had to do this before. But Della came up with an idea. She called Sue Drake and asked her if she would mind them leaving Sally with her for a short time. The two of them had met a few times and she had Paul Jr. Perhaps the two of them could do something together. Sue was thrilled to take care of Sally for a while and so after dinner Sally went over to meet Paul Jr.

As Perry and Della arrived at Reverend Brown's house, he welcomed them in. They both were nervous, but they explained what was happening with Sally. "I do have some contacts in the community, let me put the word out. It will be hard to find someone that wants a child this old but someone is out there that will want her I promise you." and with that they left the office.

When they got over to the Drake house Paul and Sally had made friends and were in the television room playing games. Sue told them that Sally had been very good and that she would be glad to take Sally anytime. With that the three of them went home once more.

Mrs. Haskell was in her forties and had raised two boys of her own. She came with excellent references and he had met one of her sons. He was a good young man, twenty-one and attending the university. He had nothing but good to say about his mom and her neighbors loved her. She had even passed the scrutiny of Perry Mason and Paul Drake. She was going to be moving in the next day.

Sue Drake got up that morning and smiled at the calendar. This was it she was in the start of her last month. She felt like she was way too big and was now uncomfortable no matter what she did. She watched as her husband Paul slept next to her on the bed. He had been out late once more on an investigation for his and her friends Perry and Della Mason. He had told her that nothing had happened and he had crawled into bed about three in the morning.

As Perry heard the doorbell ring he went and answered it. It was a delivery man with evidence information that the district attorney had on the case against his client Michelle Jones. The box was full and Perry started to go through it. The house was strangely quiet without Della and Sally and he missed them already. But this would keep him busy until they got back.

Lori got into the car with Della and Sally. She liked Sally very much and felt so sorry for her. As they got to the mall, it was all that Della and Lori could do to control Sally she jumped out of the car and started talking one hundred miles an hour about the mall and what fun it was to spend the day shopping. "I hope that we can get our hair and nails done. That's always the most fun." she told them.

That took both Della and Lori by surprise. So, Sally wanted a real girl's day and it did sound like fun. "All right when we are done getting the things for the shower we will go and have an all girls day. We will get our nails and our hair done. " and with that Della gave Sally a hug.

Sally was a handful at the mall, but was very interested in what to get and why. "I want to help decorate for the shower." she told them.

All Della could do was smile and said "I don't know how I could decorate without you." With that Sally skipped to the store across the hall to look at the dogs in the window. Della smiled at Lori and they went over to look at the dogs with her.

Sometimes that is not a good idea. The last thing that the Mason house needed was a dog and it was all Della could do to stop Sally from getting a dog that day. But she reminded her that they had a nail and hair appointment and they couldn't have the dog with them.

The day at the mall was one of the best times that Della and Lori could remember. Sally just made the shopping all the more fun. She never asked for anything for herself, she just kept finding things for the Mason baby as she called him. She was excited about Lori's baby too and wanted to know when Lori's shower was going to be. Della gave her a look and Sally knew that she wasn't supposed to say anything, so she just jumped up on the chair so the lady could do her nails.

In the meantime Michelle Jones had been doing some investigating on her own. She found out that the man who lived next to the James family had been in a feud with his neighbor for quite a while. He blamed Luke for the noise and the unkempt lawn that he kept. He told Michelle that he was nothing but a drunk. He used to beat his wife all the time.

Michelle could not help but wonder why this man was being made to sound like the pride of the city. He had been on trial for the manslaughter of Sally's mother and father. She had no reason to kill him. She would have preferred to see him sit in jail and think about what he had done everyday for a while.


	6. Chapter 6

Paul Drake had been home with Paul Jr all day. Sue was tired most of the time and had been taking a nap on the couch, when his friend Perry called. Perry was alone at the house, and was looking for some company. He was glad to hear from his friend so he left his wife a note on the kitchen table and headed over to Perry's house with his son.

Perry had this big box of evidence that the district attorney had sent to him. The box was full of things and each item had to be looked at carefully. Paul Jr was glad to go over to Uncle Perry and Aunt Della's house. He was allowed to go over to the family room and play computer games. They had the best.

Paul walked into the study with Perry and took a seat. There the two friends went through the evidence. There were pictures of some of the items. The murder weapon was not there just a picture. But, there was a button and the button did not belong to anything that John Sullivan wore. It appeared to be a woman's button and it had been found in John Sullivan's hand. Paul was going to find who owned that button. He was sure that they had something to do with the murder. He looked at his friend and the words were not needed to be said.

The two friends had just gone into the kitchen to get something to eat when they heard the car pull up. They went out to the car to help with any bags. There were lots of bags as they had worried and Paul was glad to see that they had been at the mall to get ready for Sue's shower. Della had wanted to surprise Paul as it was a Jack and Jill shower but it was all right that he knew.

Paul Jr and Sally were now in the family room playing a game. They were having a good time so Paul called his wife to check on her. Sue had woken up from her nap and was making dinner, she was just about to call him when he called her. He told her that he was on his way and he went in to get his son. Sally wished that her new friend could stay longer, but both Della and Paul told them that he could come back anytime.

As dinner was made Perry told Della about the button that had been found and she was intrigued. This was important, and as she looked as it, she agreed that it belonged to a woman. So perhaps the murderer was a woman. She knew that a woman could have been the murderer but all of the suspects that she had thought of so far had been a man. It was an interesting question.

The three of them Perry Della and Sally had just finished dinner and were doing the dishes done, when they got a call from the reverend. He had a possible couple who might be interested in adopting Sally. It was with mixed emotions that Perry agreed to meet with the couple Tuesday evening. They were not going to tell Sally who the couple were, they were just going to introduce them to her as friends.

The next two days were sad days for Perry and Della and yet happy ones. After all, they did want what was best for Sally and the Chase's were interested in her. They were in their forties and had not decided to want to have children until it was too late. They were now too old to adopt a baby also. They were both professionals and had a nice home on a nice street.

As Joe and Alice walked up the walkway to the Mason home, they looked at it with approval. The home was a very nice one and as they walked into the living room they saw the little girl. She was so sweet and so nice, they could not help but love her right away. They would meet again in a few days.

Della and Perry went upstairs that night with Sally and tucked her in. She was so good a kid and worked so hard at being loved. They both wished the best for her. Paul Drake had looked into the Chase's background and had been impressed with the couple. They were self made millionaires who had done lots of charity work. They were from the city of Boston originally and would make great parents for little Sally.

As Della got ready for bed she could feel the tears in her eyes. She was going to miss Sally so much. Perry did not feel very good about himself either. Sally, had been a spot of sunshine in his life that he was not sure he wanted to be without. He loved the little girl and wanted to keep her in his life.

When Joe and Alice got home they were thrilled at the little girl. She was everything that they could want. She was polite smart and cute. If they had a child the child would be about eight, as Alice was now forty-five. They should not have waited but their schedules had always gotten in the way. Having a baby was the last thing that had been on their mind until it had been just too late for Alice.

Alice and Joe had tried all kinds of ways to adopt and were just about to give up when they found out about Alice and the next meeting was going to be great they were sure. But Wednesday morning, they got the call that they had been waiting for . It was a call that they had both been waiting for over three years. They had been accepted as a couple to adopt a baby in China. They could have their own little baby. Alice and Joe thought about taking Sally, too, but they were going to be gone for at least six weeks.

Joe thought about calling Perry Mason but instead called the Reverend. He told him what had happened and back out of the adoption. It was a good thing that they had not told Sally who they were.

As Della was working in her private office that day the phone rang. It was their Reverend with news about Sally. He told her what had happened. Della had that mixed emotion again, she was very sad for Sally, but happy at the same time. She didn't want anyone else to adopt her. She wanted Sally to take on the last name Mason.

Perry looked up from his desk and saw his wife's face. He got up and took her in his arms "What's wrong hon?" he asked.

The Chase's have backed down as possible parents. They have been approved to adopt a little girl in China." she told him with tears in her eyes.

Perry mistook his wife's tears and told her "That is all right, hon. We will find her a good home. It is going to take a little time that is all."

Della looked at him and said "How could you have that sweet little girl in the house for the past month and want to see her go? She is a part of the family now. I don't want to ever lose her. " she told him with a stubbornness that he had seen before.

Perry looked at her with a serious face. "Della we are going to have a baby in just three months. One child is a challenge do you think you can handle two? I love her very much also, and I want what is best for her."

"Oh Perry we might have had twins, and we would have survived. We are now having twins just one of the twins is older than the other. Sally can even be a help with the baby, you know." she offered.

Perry had known in his heart that this was going to happen ever since she had asked the twenty questions that day. He had fallen in love with her slowly and yes he would be very happy to adopt Sally. He smiled down at Della and said "I will place a call to Michelle."


	7. Chapter 7

Michelle Jones had been sitting in her living room just chilling. She had been thinking there for the last month thinking about the murder and the charges that she was facing. Then, she also worried about her niece. She knew that she was not what Sally needed. She needed a home with good parents. She was too old and tired to take care of the needs of an eight year old.

But the thought of never seeing Sally again broke her heart. She knew that if she gave the little girl up for adoption that might be the case. Sometimes the relatives would not even know where she was. She had hoped that Mr. Mason would find her some good parents who would allow her to continue to have contact with her. But that was to be seen.

She heard the phone ring and hoped that it wasn't one of the pesky reporters who had been calling. She picked up the phone and was surprised to hear Mr. Mason on the line. He wanted to know if she could come to his office at two that afternoon. She said that she could and the meeting was agreed upon.

As Michelle Jones came into the office, she was greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Mason. She took a seat and the looked at the two of them. They made such a good couple. "Michelle, we have found a potential couple who is interested in adopting Sally." Mr. Mason told her.

Michelle was taken aback. Yes she wanted Sally to have a good home, but she had dreaded the time. She sat back and smiled "Go ahead." she told him.

Mr. Mason looked at Michelle Jones with his big eyes and told her "Della and I have grown very fond of Sally and she has become a part of our lives. We would like to be the couple to adopt her." he told her.

Della took Michelle's hands and told her "Sally, is such a sweetheart and such a joy to have. We would love to become a family of four." she told her tenderly.

Michelle was thrilled, the Mason's were wonderful people and Sally would live just a few miles from her house. She asked them "Will I still be able to see her once in a while?"

Perry looked at Michelle and smiled. "Yes, this adoption will be open she will have two families her parents and ours. We will make sure that she is treated as a lucky little lady." he told her.

"Then I will agree to the adoption. You do whatever you need to do to finalize things and I will come in and sign whatever is needed."

"There are several steps to the process, but I will start on them right away and get back to you. Now as far as the murder is concerned, we are working on finding the murderer and we have a couple of suspects, don't worry about that either.

For the first time in weeks Michelle Jones felt good about her life. She was glad that Sally had found such a good home and people. This was a good day indeed.

Perry and Della took a deep breath and then took each other in their arms. They both loved Sally and they knew that they could make her life a happy one.

As Della and Perry got home that evening, they were greeted by Sally. She had been with her nanny outside and was having a great time. They asked her if she would please come in that they had something that they wanted to talk to her for a moment.

As Sally came in she noticed the serious looks on Mr. and Mrs. Mason's face and panicked. She was sure that they had probably found her a new home 'Why didn't anyone want her' she thought. She took a seat on the couch and looked at them with tears coming into her eyes.

Perry looked at the little girl and gave her a big hug. "We have something to ask you Sally. You don't have to answer the question right away. You can take your time. But Mrs. Mason and I have been wondering if you would like to live with us as our little girl. We would like to adopt you." he told her.

Sally looked to Mrs. Mason and saw that she had tears in her eyes. She jumped up and put her arms around Mr. Mason and then Mrs. Mason and told them "That's what I have always wanted" she said with a shout.

That evening was the best evening of the Mason household. When they told the nanny she celebrated also. This was the best thing that could have happened. For dinner they all went out to Sally's favorite place to eat and had a large pizza with everything on it. They even let her have a large glass of soda in celebration.

When they put Sally to bed that evening she sat up and asked them "When can I start calling you mommy and daddy?"

Both Perry and Della had thought about that question. They looked at each other and then Della smiled down at her and said "Whenever you feel comfortable, we would both be honored."

Sally smiled at them and gave them each a hug. "I will start tonight good-night mommy and daddy." she told them and gave them each a big hug. She looked around the room and smiled. "This room is going to be mine forever?" she asked.

"It will be your room until you no longer need it Sally." Perry told her and he kissed her tenderly on the cheek.

As Perry and Della went downstairs they were so full of emotion that neither one of them knew whether to laugh or cry or what so instead they just held each other in their arms for a long time. Finally their embrace was stopped by the sound of the doorbell. They looked out the kitchen window and saw Paul standing there.


	8. Chapter 8

Della went to the door and let their friend in. Paul had been working all day and they had high hopes that he had found out something. He smiled at the two of them and said "Oh to be a newlywed again."

Perry then told him with pride that they had decided to adopt Sally themselves and that Sally was going to be a member of the family soon.

Paul congratulated and hugged the both of them. He had a feeling that this was going to happen, but he never knew with his friend Perry. Sally was a wonderful little girl and Paul Jr and her had become friends, as he hoped that his new baby and Della and Perry's baby would be friends.

Paul took a lemonade happily and took a seat at the kitchen table. "I have been working all day on that button and just by luck, I found the owner. The button belongs to a sweater that belongs to Luke James's sister in law Maggie. I was checking out the possibilities when I showed the button to her son. He is sixteen and said that he had given his mother the sweater that the button went to for his birthday." he told them.

Perry and Della were very intrigued and waited for the rest of the story in earnest.

"So that made me do some more checking. It would seem that Luke had an affair with Maggie about three months ago. His brother had found out about it and they have not spoken to each other since. Maggie drives a green chevy later model and one of the neighbors did tell me that he saw a car that matched that description by the house the day of the murder. Perry, I think she is the murderer."

Della thought about the social media talk about Luke and knew that he had not been faithful to his wife. She was not surprised to find out that he had an affair with his sister in law. She had looked into Luke's brother Mike, but had not looked into his wife Maggie.

Perry knew at this point that Maggie had reason for murder, and in the anger of the moment many people had been killed. It was an act of passion. But, it was time for him and Paul to go to the home of Maggie and Mike's and get her to confess.

Perry called his friend Lt Tragg and told him what they had found out. Tragg was just sitting down to read a good book, and was more than happy to meet Perry and Paul at the home of Maggie and Mike's in half an hour. He would come there in an unmarked police cruiser.

Maggie had been home in her kitchen. Her conscience had been bothering her ever since the murder of her brother in law. Mike had been so good to her and had no idea that she had lost her temper that day and had murdered his brother. He was totally innocent and now her whole family was going to be affected. Mike did not even know that she was pregnant and that the baby might be his brother's. He had forgiven her for the affair, but she had to tell him the truth.

Mike was in the kitchen with Maggie when there was a knock on the front door. He opened the door to Lt Tragg who he had met a few times and two men one named Perry Mason and the other Paul Drake. He knew both names as Perry Mason was a famous attorney and Paul Drake was the owner of the famous Drake Detective Agency. Maggie looked at their faces and knew that they knew the truth.

She asked them to take a seat and she took her husband's hands. She looked at Mike and then the men and confessed to the entire thing. "I went there to confront Luke. He was a mean man who took advantage of women all of the time. I had found out that he was now seeing a young girl at my work. She was only nineteen and Luke would take her for all she had. He laughed at me."

The men watched her and told her to Go on.

"I begged him to leave her alone, but he told me that there was nothing I could do about it. I picked up the fireplace poker and struck him. I did not mean to kill him. I just wanted to make him stop but he didn't move. I ran out of the house and heard later that he had died. I just didn't know what to do."

Mike had been afraid that this is what had happened. He knew that her favorite sweater had been ripped at some time and his wife had been very depressed. They had two children and he had stayed by her side when she had an affair with his brother. But now, she murdered him? He shook his head, this was going to be a tough pill to swallow.

As Maggie was taken into the police cruiser, Perry and Paul shook hands, they had solved another mystery. As the two men started toward Perry's house Paul got a call. It was Sue, she was in labor. So it was going to be a very busy day at both the Mason home and the Drake home.

It had already been arranged that Paul Jr would be coming over to Perry's house for the time that Sue was in the hospital They called Della to let her know what was happening and headed straight to Paul's house.

The shower was supposed to be on Saturday, but it looked like the baby would be there. Della had thought that they were having the shower a little late, but Sue's mother had not been able to come out until that day, so they had postponed the party. Sue had Paul Jr two weeks early too.

Six hours later Sue gave birth to a little girl. She weighed in at six pounds twelve ounces and she was eighteen inches long. She and mother were healthy and happy.

But Perry had to make a call at Michelle Jone's house. He rang the doorbell and Michelle answered the door. When he told her that Maggie had been arrested, for the first time since the murder Michelle could relax. She was looking at the kind man who was going to adopt her niece. He had saved both her and Sally's life and she would never forget him. She thanked him and said that she would like to come over and see Sally sometime.

Perry smiled at Michelle and told her "We are having a baby shower on Saturday, but Sunday should be fine. Give us a call." and with that he smiled and left.

The next day as Della and Perry came into the hospital to see the baby, Della really couldn't wait to have their baby. They told Sue about their decision to adopt Sally and that Sally couldn't wait to see the baby. It was a nice thing knowing that the day that they had decided to adopt Sally was also the day that Paul and Sue had their baby. The two girls would have something to share as they grew up.

All in all it had been a good day. There were two new children within the friends households and the murder mystery had been solved.


	9. Chapter 9

Perry and Della had once more solved a murder with the help of their friend Paul. It was indeed a happy day for everyone. The baby was healthy and beautiful, Sally was soon to be theirs and the shower was bus a week away.

Della had been concerned about Sue feeling up to going to the shower, so Lori and Della decided to let her know about her surprise shower. Sue did not want to postpone it at all. So the shower was going to be held with the baby and Sue both there.

Lori could not believe that she was now going to have a niece and a nephew. Sally was going to be her niece and she could not be happier. She laughed as Sally came into her house carrying a big bag of things for the shower. The little girl could barely see over the bag and nearly tripped. But, she would not let anyone help her. As the three of them put together some of the party favors Mike came in the room.

Mike had been busy getting the crib and stroller together for their little boy who would be there in the next six weeks. When Sue had her baby he realized that time was getting short and he had gone right to work getting ready for their little boy. He looked at Sally and thought that there should be some kind of party for her once she was adopted. He could not wait for her to be his legal niece.

The day went well and the whole crew decided to have dinner at Lori's house. Della called Perry who had been completing the details on the murder that had just been solved and was glad to take a break. As he came into the house he was greeted by Sally who called him daddy once again. It was indeed one of the biggest highlights of his life.

The five of them had a barb-q that night and they each celebrated together. Sally fit right in and started to call Lori and Mike aunt and uncle.

The day of the shower came and as the friends all went to the Kavanough Restaurant Sally ran ahead. She was carrying a bag and fell. Della ran up to her and helped her pick up the things that had dropped. She started to cry as one of the toys had broken. But, Della had the solution, she had thought that something might get broken so she had brought some extras. She smiled and told Sally and the tears went away.

Everyone at the shower were thrilled to see the baby. Little Diane was the hit of the shower. She received a ton of clothes and even a high chair from her grandmother. The Mason's gave her a swing and everyone had a wonderful time.

That Monday Perry submitted the necessary papers for him and Della to adopt Sally and the process began. There was a visit from a social worker who liked the Masons and the newspaper ads, but most of the adoption process was just a process.

On little Sally's ninth birthday the whole family appeared in front of judge Johnson and the adoption became legal. Sally was now the daughter of Perry and Della Mason. With the baby due in just three weeks, the family would soon be whole.


End file.
